Jun 1, 2017

Psychedelic rock emerged in the
mid-1960s. It's heyday was 1966 to 1969.This type of far-out music gave us such
classic albums as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Pet
Sounds, Surrealistic Pillow, and The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.Today, music historians split
psychedelic rock into two categories: pop-psychedelia and acid rock.Pop-psychedelia was heavily influenced
by British bands like
The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and The Kinks (later by XTC’s
alter-ego, Dukes of the Stratosphear).The epicenter of acid rock was San
Francisco. Progenitors of this brand of psychedelia included
Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, Moby Grape, and Paul Butterfield Blues
Band.Some credit the Grateful Dead with
creating acid rock in 1965 at Ken Kesey’s second Acid Test. To
paraphrase Jerry Garcia, whatever music you’re listening to why
dropping acid is acid rock.Garcia’s wisdom aside, acid rock
usually eschews the studio tricks and soundscapes of pop-psychedelia.
It’s more focused on the guitar, guitar solos, and long jams.Acid rock is important because at the
start of the 1970s, the movement split in two. One branch became
hard rock/heavy metal and the other became progressive rock.
Obviously, this is a bit of an
over-simplification, but the acid rock of the 1960s evolved into the
hard rock of the 1970s. For a great overview of acid rock, you need
to check out Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic
Era 1965-1968.Produced by Lenny Kaye, Nuggets is
generally regarded as one of the greatest compilations in rock
history. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine named
it the 196th
best album of all-time. It’s available on Amazon for about
ten bucks (the vinyl version is considerably more). Buy it, rip it,
and then give it to a friend.Before you do, make sure you read the
linear notes, the inside cover, and the booklet. There’s almost as
much to read as there is to hear.The compact disc contains 27 great
tracks. There are songs you’ve probably heard before like “Dirty
Water” (The Standells), “Pushin’ Too Hard” (The Seeds), and
“Baby Please Don’t Go” (The Amboy Dukes).It also contains songs you might not
have heard before like “A Public Execution” (Mouse), “An
Invitation to Cry,” (The Magicians), and “Let’s Talk About
Girls,” (Chocolate Watch Band).The highlight of the album is “You’re
Gonna Miss Me” by The Thirteenth Floor Elevators. The single
peaked at number fifty-five on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966.The band’s name conjures up New York
City, many thought they were from San Francisco, but they actually
hail from Texas.They are fronted by Rory Erickson with
Stacy Sutherland on lead guitar. Rare for a rock band, Tommy Hall
played the electric jug.The Elevators hit the Austin music
scene in late 1965 and split in 1969. Legal woes and drug problems
did them in.True to the recording industry of that
era, they released four albums: The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th
Floor Elevators (1966), Easter Everywhere (1967), Live (1968), and
Bull of the Woods (1969).Their music has been covered by
numerous artists including R.E.M, ZZ Top, and Echo and the Bunnymen.
In 1990, they were the muse for one of the first tribute albums.